Barely Breathing
by privatepracticefan100
Summary: Violet/Pete/a little Meg & a little Sheldon---How will they cope with their newfound feelings for eachother?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Shit," Violet muttered running her hands through her hair. "Shit, Shit, Shit"

Quietly she shut the door to her office and sank into the closest chair.

She had no idea how her world had spun out of control. What was she thinking? Her and Pete? She felt like it was all just a dream…a very real dream.

She closed her eyes and sank even further into the thickly padded chair. Pete had gone after Meg. They had been caught and it was all over for them now. She didn't want it to be over. She could still feel his lips on her bare skin. She could still feel his touch and how he had made her weaker with every caress.

Her eyes snapped open.

"You're crazy" she whispered to herself. How could she possibly think that Pete Wilder would go for someone like her. She was neurotic, and oh so lonely.

_It shows. _She thought to herself as she pulled herself out of the chair. Sighing she picked up her next client's file. Thumbing through it, she tried to put thoughts of Pete out of her mind. He needed someone like Meg in his life. A strong, independent woman. But Pete was so much like her; lonely to the bottom of his soul.

_Maybe I can hide in here for the rest of the day_, she thought knowing that it wouldn't be possible. There was no way to avoid Pete. Everyone would know about their tryst by the end of the day. There was no way to escape that. Violet braced herself for the inevitable and waited for her patient to arrive.

Pete scrambled down the stairs after Meg hoping to catch her before she got off the elevator and walked out the door. He knew she would be fuming.

_Why didn't I just say something at dinner, _his mind screamed. He hated doing this to her, but something about his night with Violet just felt right.

"Meg, wait!" He grabbed her arm and she yanked it away from him. The look in her eyes was cold.

"I know you're angry with me," he said "Please hear me out."

"I'm not sure I want to listen to anything you have to say" she replied icily.

"I wanted to tell you last night…"

"No you didn't, or you would have."

"Do you know how hard it is for me when you leave? I get so lonely that I don't know what to do with myself. Violet is here. She listens to me. She is my friend."

"She looked like more than a friend to me," Meg stared at him.

Pete just stood blinking back at her.

"What do you want me to say?" he managed to ask.

"I want you to tell me the truth. What did I just see Peter? Two friends don't share a passionate kiss in a closed office! Your blinds were closed for christ's sake!" She yelled turning away from him.

He grabbed her arm again, spinning her around to face him. He could see the hurt written all over her face. At a loss for words he let her go.

"That's what I thought," she said. With that, she turned and walked out of the building.

Pete watched her go. At first he had an overwhelming urge to run after her but his feet seemed planted in the lobby. He wandered to an empty chair and sat down with his head in his hands.

His mind wandered to a few short nights earlier. They had been vunerable. He remembered their first tentative kiss, and how they both had been so unsure of the others intentions. Her taste had comforted him and left him wanting more as their lips had met again. Fiercely this time.

His heart raced as he remembered the way she had stared up at him while he was sliding her shirt off. The way she had moaned in his ear when he touched her in all the right places.

_Oh Violet. _

He had just left her standing there. Without thinking he had run out of the office after Meg.

"Shit" he cursed to himself. He knew Violet would understand. He knew that she was probably in her office analyzing the whole scene in her head. He also knew that she would be avoiding him.

He stood up and walked over to the elevator. He couldn't let her avoid him. He needed to talk to her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Her door was closed. He stood just outside of it contemplating whether or not to knock.

On and impulse he grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open and propelled himself in. She was poised in a chair, pen and paper in hand. Her head snapped up, mouth open.

"Violet..I.." he started before he realized that she was not alone.

Startled at the intrusion, an angry looking blonde woman sat up from the couch and stared at Pete.

"Excuse me." He managed to choke out.

Violet moved to stand up, but Pete was already turning to go. She stood there for a minute watching him go before sinking back into her chair.

"I'm sorry about that" she smiled.

The woman started talking again, but Violet found it very hard to pay attention. Anger was rising up into her cheeks. She could feel it.

_What did he want? What gives him the right to barge in here like that? Why is this happening?_

Her patient droned on.

He was sitting in his chair with his feet propped up on his desk when she finally came to his office. He could tell she was angry. He had interrupted a session with a client. He had infringed upon her personal space. He couldn't help himself.

"I should have knocked" he offered.

"Yes, you should have." She said, entering his office. She stood in front of him, arms hanging limply to her sides. After a minute, Pete stood up and walked to the other side of the desk. He wanted to be closer to her.

"Pete.. you can't just "

"Violet.."

"You can't just barge into my office."

"I'm sorry. I had to see you."

"About the other night…about earlier.." she stammered

"What about it?"

"It shouldn't have happened," She stated simply, "We're friends."

He inched closer to her.

"Do you mean that?" he asked, his voice hushed.

"Yes."

"Ok." He backed away. She could see the confusion in his eyes.

_I don't want you to hurt me_ the voice in her head screamed. She broke eye contact. Slowly she turned and walked out of his office.

_I need a new couch, _Violet thought as she re-entered her office. Every time she looked at the spot that had held so much joy and excitement just nights ago she wanted to turn around and go back to Pete. She was afraid to sit on the couch for fear that she would still be able to smell him there. She was afraid that anyone would be able to smell him there. She grabbed some files and sank down into a chair. Unable to concentrate she stared blankly into her lap.

_I did the right thing. _

"You did." She affirmed to herself. Standing up, she moved to her desk. Dropping the files on top with a resounding thud.

There was a knock at the door and shortly after Cooper burst in.

"Where have you been all day?" he prodded

"Here." She looked up from the paperwork she was pretending to do.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she faked a smile, "I just have a lot of work to do today."

"Want to go grab a beer and forget about it?"

"No I think I'm just going to wrap up here and go home."

"Alright well, see you tomorrow."

Violet looked at her watch. It was nearly 6 p.m. She was exhausted.

Before she packed her things to go, she went across the hall to retrieve herself one last cup of coffee. The light in Pete's office was still on. Determined not to pay any attention to it, she opened the refridgerator in search of cream.

"I saw you looking into my office."

Violet jumped, slamming to refrigerator door loudly. Pete stood standing in the doorway, leaning against the door jam, arms crossed.

_He looks broken_, she thought.

"I wasn't looking." She stammered.

"You were looking."

"No I..I'm getting coffee. I thought I was the only one here.."

He slowly backed her against the counter.

"You are full of shit, you know that right?" he asked inching closer to her.

"I..I don't know what you mean." His body was just inches away from hers. A jolt of heat ran through her body. In an instant she flashed to a few nights before, where in her office he had slowly run his tongue all over her body. Her body was all tingly as she stared up into his eyes.

"I can't stop thinking about you Violet." He whispered. His voice was husky. "I can't describe it." He backed away, running his fingers through his hair.

He needed a moment to gather his thoughts together. When he had seen her looking at his office door he had decided that he would go out and say all of the things he had wanted to say to her earlier. He had been so confident, but now his knees were weak.

_You don't know what you are doing to me, _he thought. He turned back to her. In a second he had closed the gap between them.

"Tell me you feel it too.." he said embracing her. Forcefully, he pulled her into a kiss. She melted into him, relishing the feel of her hands against her hot skin.

Finally she pulled away.

"We can't do this Pete. Not here."

His head bent towards hers, and rested on her forehead.

"We'll figure this out. I promise," he said, "Come on, I'll walk you to your car."

Pete rode home more confused than ever.

_She is your friend. _

Every time he closed his eyes he pictured her. The way her eyes seemed to burn a hole through his soul. He was sure he had never felt this way about a woman before and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

He pulled out his keys and unlocked the door to his apartment. He was exhausted.

Flicking on the light, he dropped his keys on the table next to the door. He walked into the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Hi."

It was Meg's voice.

He stopped just short of the kitchen and turned. She was sitting on his couch, eyes red rimmed from crying.

"I forgive you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Peter, I forgive you." She repeated, standing up. She took a few steps in his direction and then stopped. "I know what it is like to be alone. You reach out to anyone for comfort."

"That is what you think happened here?" he asked, his voice steady.

"I want you to tell me what happened here. All this time you have been pushing me out. Was it because you were letting her in?"

"Violet has always been there for me. She is the one person in this world that I can talk to."

"I used to be that person…" she said, looking at her feet.

"Who am I supposed to talk to when you're gone? You are never here Meg."

"I can be here."

"You hate it here. You said it yourself, you're bored." He sighed and turned away.

"So that's it? She's here. I'm not. That's it?" She grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn to her. "You go to her when I'm not here?"

"No. It's not like that. "

She turned away, running her fingers through her hair.

"So what then? What happened?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen this way," he said turning her around to face him. "It just did."

"That's your explanation?"

"I can't think of any other way to say it. I'm so confused Meg. I've never felt this way."

"I thought you felt that way about me," she said quietly.

"Me too," he said, "Me too."

***

She didn't know what to think. She felt like she was in high school all over again. Pete Wilder, hottie doctor had not only made love to her on her couch, but he had kissed her in the kitchen. If the sex hadn't confused her enough, that kiss had pushed her over the edge.

"We'll figure this out," she muttered, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

That kiss had sent shivers down her spine. Every time she thought about it she got goose bumps.

_I guess I can add that to my list of places to avoid thinking about. _

As she settled into her bed, she couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring. Violet was never quite sure how to act in these situations. Avoidance was her defense mechanism. She couldn't keep avoiding him. That would be too obvious.

_God I just hope he doesn't get too close. I won't be able to pretend like nothing happened. _

She closed her eyes.

_But it did happen. _Her mind wandered back to their kiss in the kitchen as she drifted off to sleep.

It was inevitable. As soon as Violet walked through the doors to the building she saw Pete waiting for the elevator. She froze for a minute trying to decide whether to sneak up the stairs, or brave the elevator with him. The elevator would definitely be too close for comfort.

He looked up from his cup of coffee and smiled at her.

_Too late, he saw me. _She smiled back and made her way over to him.

"Hey" she said.

"Hey"

She eyed him shyly. She had no idea what to say to him.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

The doors opened and the stepped inside. Pete pressed five.

"I did," she said as the doors closed.

"Dream of me?" He turned to her with a devilish look in his eye. He dropped his coffee. Silently he backed her into the corner of the elevator. Without a moment's hesitation he kissed her, gently at first, then hungrily. Her purse fell to the floor as her arms wrapped around his neck pulling him closer.

The elevator slowed to a stop. With flushed faces, they quickly gathered up their things as the doors opened to reveal the fourth floor.

"Ah, just the person I was looking for."

Sheldon stood poised at the elevator doors waiting for a ride up. Violet faked a smile. Pete's face was hard as stone, his jaw clenched. He stepped on and the doors closed.

"Really?" Violet choked out. _This is awkward,_ she thought.

"Yes," he said eyeing Pete, "I thought we could talk in your office."

Violet could hear Pete grinding his teeth together. His hand was slowly clenching and unclenching into a fist. The elevator doors opened to the fifth floor.

"Well then let's go to my office," Violet said gesturing for Sheldon to lead the way. She shot Pete an apologetic look over her shoulder.

Pete watched them go, cursing Sheldon with every step.

**

"So," Violet said, closing the door behind her, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Sheldon looked at the floor, then back up at her. He took a step toward her.

"I would like to go out with you again," he said nervously.

"Oh."

"I know I said that we should be friends, but I really like you Violet. I'd like another chance."

She was silent.

_Oh god, what do I say? Do I tell him that it's too late? That I'm seeing someone else? Yes. That is what I should say. What would Pete say? You're not even sure what's going on with you and Pete. What about, well I'm not sure…you rejected me and I fucked Pete Wilder on this couch the other night. No, that doesn't work._

"Violet, say something," he pleaded.

Her head snapped up. She had no idea what to do. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. The confusion was written all over her face.

"I don't know what to say," she said.

"Say yes."

"I think I'm going to have to think about it," she said, finally.

He looked crushed at first, then confused.

"Ok," he said picking up his briefcase, "just don't keep me waiting to long."

As he left he kissed her on the cheek.

**

_What could he have wanted to talk to her about?_

Pete was frustrated. Ten minutes had passed since Sheldon had gone into Violet's office, not that he had been looking at his watch. He had been standing at the front desk engaged in conversation with Dell about his upcoming appointments for the day. That wasn't suspicious at all.

He wasn't listening to Dell at all. He was staring intently in the direction of Violet's office.

"Hey man." Sam came up to the desk and flopped a file down. Pete snapped out of his trance.

"Hey."

"What happened yesterday?" Sam asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you running after Meg."

"Oh, right. I don't want to talk about that."

"Gotcha." Sam said, taking a sip of coffee.

The door to Violet's office opened and Sheldon came walking down the hallway. Pete stared at him.

"Where did he come from?" Sam asked.

"Violet's office. They came in together." Dell piped up.

Pete scowled. He turned to face the closing elevator, resting his back against the desk.

"I don't like him," he stated.

"Jealous." Sam muttered.

"She's too good for him."

"Jealous." Dell said.

"I'm not jealous. I'm right. She can do better," he growled at them.

With that he picked up his things and walked into his office.

**

"Pete likes Violet," Sam announced as he entered the office kitchen. Addison and Naomi looked up from their respective breakfasts and stared at him. Cooper choked on his coffee.

"I'm serious." Sam insisted.

"No way," Cooper interjected. "She's not his type."

"And what exactly is his type?" Addison asked glancing over at Cooper.

"I mean..well..it's.." Cooper stuttered, "No way."

"Where is this coming from Sam?" Naomi asked.

"He's jealous of Sheldon."

"Sheldon?" Cooper asked, "Violet isn't even seeing him anymore."

"He was in her office this morning."

"So what does this have to do with Pete?" Addison questioned.

"You didn't see his face. I was talking to him, and he was staring at Violet's door. I'm telling you, he likes her."

"Who likes who?" Pete asked as he walked into the room. They all went quiet as he reached into the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

"No one. No one likes anyone." Cooper snapped.

"Oookay." Pete backed out of the room.

"Defensive today?" Addison asked Cooper.

"Are you jealous?" Naomi questioned with a huge grin on her face.

"No. No I'm not. It's just that Pete does not like Violet. It wouldn't work even if he did."

"Why do you say that?" asked Sam.

"It just wouldn't. Relationships never work." Cooper left the room. He had been especially moody lately. Everyone knew that he was still reeling from his break up with Charlotte.

"I'm telling you. There's something going on there." Sam insisted. Addison and Naomi rolled their eyes and left the room

**

_Now what do I do?_

Violet sat drumming her fingers on her desk. She had never been in this situation.

_Two men at once? _

One was barely a catch.

_It didn't work out the first time, remember?_

That had been a huge disappointment.

And there was Pete. Pete was a huge step up from any of the men that she had dated lately. But she had no idea where that was going, if it went anywhere at all.

She glanced at her couch and sighed.

_I need coffee. _

She grabbed her mug and walked to the door. She opened it and ran right into Pete who was getting ready to knock on her door. Quickly he glanced around to see if anyone was watching them, then he pushed her back into her office.

"What did Sheldon want?" he demanded.

"A date."

"Oh." He ran his hands through his hair. His jaw clenched. She could see how tense he had become.

"I told him I would think about it."

He looked up at her, his eyes hopeful. He grinned.

"Well what if I asked you out on a date?" he took a step closer to her.

"I'd have to think about that too." She replied, smiling.

He took another step towards her. "I can be very convincing."

"What would we do on this date?" she asked.

He was right in front of her now; his body so close to hers. She found it very hard not to reach out and touch him. Something about being near him made her want him more. His face hovered over hers.

"Maybe a little takeout?" he whispered.

"I like takeout." She looked up into his eyes. He backed her up against her desk.

"Maybe a movie?" his face was dangerously close to hers.

"I like movies."

_Kiss me._

"Maybe you'll spend the night?"

_Kiss me. _

"What makes you think I'll spend the night with you on the first date?"

"Something tells me you will." His mouth met hers. His tongue parted her lips and explored the inside of her mouth. He lifted her up onto her desk. Instinctively her legs spread, giving him room to come closer. She threw her head back, longing to feel his lips on her throat. Her arms were around his neck, her hands in his hair. His fingers grazed the bare skin where her shirt had come up her back ever so slightly.

"So you'll go on a date with me?" he breathed against her neck.

_God you smell good, _his mind screamed. It was all he could do to keep from taking her to the couch and slowly pulling off her clothes.

"Yes" she sighed, eyes closed.

"Tonight?" he asked, placing a kiss on her throat.

"Yes."

He smiled. Slowly he backed away from her, straightening himself up. Her eyes opened.

"Why do you do that?" she asked, infuriated.

"I guess I'm just better at convincing than Sheldon." he said.

Smugly he left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

She had agonized over what to wear. It made her feel stupid. She wanted him to think that she was sexy. Beyond sexy. Gorgeous. She knew the type of women that Pete usually went for, and they had sex coming out of their ears. She barely had sex. She felt out of her element.

_Pete wants you there. He wants to spend time with you. _

She shook her head. "I'm doing it again." Overanalyzing.

She was in front of Pete's apartment building, two hands on the steering wheel, willing herself to go in. Finally she got out of the car, and with a burst of determination she walked up to his door and knocked. When the door swung open all of her fears dissipated. There was Pete, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, smiling at her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, wrapping his arms around her waist and meeting her lips for a quick kiss.

_He's excited to see you. _

She was glad that she had gone with a relaxed outfit, perfect for spending the night in; a plain white t-shirt with a part of wide-legged chinos. As their kiss broke she caught him surveying her. He had put out two wine glasses on the counter, as well as a collection of take out menus to choose from.

"I figured we could drink some wine, and figure out what we wanted to eat." He suggested.

"Great," she said, picking up a menu and examining it. She stared at it a long time, aware that he was staring at her. They weren't saying anything. She had no idea what to say to him.

"Do you want some wine?" he asked, pulling a bottle of Merlot out of his wine rack.

"Sure."

He poured her a glass and handed it to her. "What do you want to eat?"

"Chinese?"

"Love the stuff. Live off of it."

"You would." She grinned.

"I'll call it in." he said.

He didn't ask her what she wanted, but she didn't care. That was part of his charm. She relished the thought of him ordering bad Chinese for her. It made her feel special. Her first boyfriend had ordered for her. It had been in high-school; senior prom to be exact. The waiter hadn't even given her a menu. Her date, Steve, had ordered her the Pasta Primavera. She had thought he was so sweet; until the end of the night when his sweet act had gotten old. Something told her Pete wasn't that sweet. At least, she hoped not.

**

Hours later, they were sitting on Pete's living room floor, backs against the couch. His coffee table was littered with boxes of Chinese take-out. Both were cracking up at the movie they were watching. Pete had a great selection of movies. Unable to chose one, Violet had closed her eyes and ran a finger over each of the cases, stopping after a few minutes on "Little Miss Sunshine."

When Violet laughed, Pete couldn't help but look at her. Her laugh's seemed to come from deep within her. Her head was thrown back, exposing her throat. Her eyes were closed.

_Beautiful,_ he thought.

"What?" she asked. She had caught him staring.

"Oh nothing."

"What? What is it?"

"I like to see you laughing."

"Oh." Her face flushed. She turned her attention back to the movie. His hand found hers under the table. Silently, he interlocked his fingers with hers. She looked back over at him. Their eyes locked.

"Stay with me tonight," he asked. He leaned in closer. Their lips met, softly. They kissed several times, slowly savoring the taste of each other.

"I don't know," she wondered if it was a good idea.

"Stay," he repeated firmly. He pulled her closer, parting her lips with his tongue, kissing her intensely. His kisses made her dizzy. He kissed her lips, her jaw, her cheeks, and then her lips again pulling her closer each time.

She rose to her knees and straddled him allowing him better access to her body. Surprised he stared up at her, his head resting on the couch. Hands on either side of his face, she kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth slowly; teasing his tongue with her own. Breaking the kiss, she reached down and pulled her shirt over her head. His hands felt cool against her now bare skin. Sitting up a little, he placed a trail of kisses from her neck to her collar bone before coming back up to suck on her earlobe. She gasped, eyes closed from the sensation of his tongue on the sensitive flesh.

Pushing her hair out of the way, he trailed back down to her chest. His right hand cupped her breast, rubbing her already hard nipple through the lace of her bra. With his other hand, he pulled one bra strap down, placing kisses on her shoulder. She moaned in anticipation as his hand caressed her bare breast, while the other pushed her other strap down. Slowly, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra, tossing it to the side. Pete paused for a minute, gauging her face, before sucking one of her nipples into his mouth.

Longing to feel his skin, Violet's hands moved under his t-shirt. His heart was racing as he peeled it off. She used a single finger to trace a line from his navel, up his abdomen, to his chest. She leaned in and gently nipped the spot where is neck met his chest. He moaned, as she continued her kisses further down his chest, slowly licking her way to his belly button.

He sucked her other nipple into his mouth. She could feel him hardening beneath her. His hands were dangerously close to her waistline. She felt him unbuttoning her pants as he continued to kiss her neck. She rose and stepped out of her pants. Pete stared in awe, as she kicked her pants to the side.

"You should probably take yours off too."

He nodded, and quickly obeyed, revealing his hard penis. She climbed back on top of him, gently cupping his package. He let out a sigh as her hands went to work. He pulled her lacy thong to the side, finding her unbelievably wet he slipped a finger inside her. His thumb rubbed a slow circle around her clit.

"Fuck me," he whispered against her neck. He looked up at her; there was a pleading look in his eye. _I want you so bad_, his mind screamed at her.

Slowly she lowered herself onto his cock, gasping as she felt him inside of her. He threw his head back as a wave of pleasure ran through his body. His hips rose to meet her every movement. Their pace quickened. She held on for dear life as she felt herself tumbling closer and closer to the edge. Moaning she tried to control the ebb and flow of emotions running through her body. Finally, she could hold on no longer; an orgasm racked her body. Pete's eyes never left hers. He sat up slightly, snaking a hand through her hair, pulling her closer as he felt his own release.

His heart was beating dangerously fast. She was trembling. Her forehead rested on his. He tipped his head up and met her lips for a deep, soulful kiss. Her body slumped, her arms around his neck, head resting on his shoulders. His arms wrapped around her, fingers drawing lazy circles on her back.

"Wow," he whispered in her ear.

"Wow," she repeated. She leaned back, arms still around his neck. "Let's do that again."

"Let's move to the bed this time."

Slowly, she rose off of him. He stood up and turned off the TV. Taking her hand, he slowly led her to his bedroom.

**

In her dreams, Violet was voraciously hungry. It was only when her own hunger pains woke her up that she realized that she was actually hungry in real life. Even before her eyes opened she was acutely aware that someone's arms were around her. When her eyes did open, it took her a few minutes to remember exactly where she was. The room was bright, brighter than she was used to. Pete's arms were wrapped tightly around her. They were curled perfectly together. She wriggled ever so slightly, and Pete's grip on her relaxed.

"You're up," he said into her hair.

They had stayed up until all hours of the night making love, talking, and making love again. She had no idea what time they had actually fallen asleep. She had no idea what time it was.

_Good thing it's Saturday._

She rolled over to face him. Her legs tangled with his.

"You're up," she said.

"I could hear your stomach growling."

Playfully she smacked his shoulder. "You could not!"

"I could," he said solemnly.

"Liar."

"How else would I know that you're hungry?"

"Intuition," she stated matter of factly, "What time is it?"

He rolled over and grabbed his watch off of the night table.

"Eleven," he put the watch back.

"Wow. I haven't slept this late since college."

"Feel's great doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does." She smiled, snuggling closer to him.

"Want to eat the rest of that Chinese food?" he asked.

"I thought you would never ask"

"I'll go get it."

He got up and pulled on a pair of pajama pants that had been laying on his floor. He went to his dresser and grabbed a t-shirt. After he pulled his on, he tossed her one.

"Here, you can put this on if you want."

He walked out of the room and into the kitchen. She pulled the shirt on over her head and snuggled down under the covers. She could smell their night of sex on the sheets mingled with the scent of him from the t-shirt. She took a deep breath. She had no idea how this whole thing had happened. Here she was, waiting for Pete Wilder to bring her leftover Chinese food in bed.

_I'm in Pete's bed, wearing Pete's shirt. If Cooper could see me now he would die. _

Pete came back into the room toting two cartons of day old Chinese with forks stuck in them. Handing her one, he climbed back into bed and flicked on the TV.

"You eat half of yours, and I'll eat half of mine and then we will trade," He grinned at her taking a bite.

**

Twenty minutes and one carton switch later, Violet and Pete were snuggled in bed together.

She knew that she should leave, but she couldn't. Something was keeping her there. It just felt so natural to be lying there with him.

"I could do this all day," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

"Me too," she replied lazily.

"Let's do it. Lets stay here like this all day."

"No complaints over here," she yawned settling her head on his chest.

She was about to drift off to sleep when a knock at the door startled her out of her sleep.

"Stay here. I'll be right back," Pete said, fearing that it was Meg at the door.

He got out of bed and padded to the front door, leaving the bedroom door open a crack. Sleepily, Pete opened the door to reveal Sam on the other side.

"Hey man!" Sam said

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Pete asked nervously.

"Nothing, I was just in the neighborhood. Thought maybe we could hang out for a bit. Can I come in?"

From the other room, Violet could hear Sam's voice. Startled she climbed out of bed and tiptoed to the bedroom door to get a closer look. When she realized that in fact it was Sam she panicked. Not knowing where to go, she ran into the bathroom and prayed that Sam didn't ask to use it.

"Well I'm a little busy at the…"

"Aw man, you got a girl in here?"

"Well, you could say that.."

"I got you. Good for you man," Sam said smiling.

"Yeah I'd really like to get back to her if you don't mind," Pete said, pushing Sam out the door.

"Sorry to interrupt." Sam said winking.

"See you Monday." Pete said closing the door.

When he was sure that Sam had gone back down the hall, he made his way back to the bedroom. He opened the door but didn't see Violet.

"Violet?" he called.

Slowly she retreated from her bathroom hiding spot.

"Is he gone?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you think he knew I was here?"

"I don't think so." He climbed back into bed and pulled her close to him.

"I'd like to keep this between us for right now ok?" she said.

"Ok."

She rested her head on his chest and they both fell asleep as he stroked her hair.

**

Sam walked out of Pete's apartment building wondering what he would do for the rest of the day. Naomi had banned him from her house for the weekend, declaring that they needed to spend time away from each other. Maya was at a friend's house for the day.

As he walked down the sidewalk he scanned his surroundings. Suddenly he stopped short. If Sam hadn't been suspicious as to why Pete had pushed him out of his house this morning, he was now. Now that he was outside of the building, he could have sworn that Violet's car was parked right out front.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: Sorry it took me so long…my job gets a little hectic around the holidays ******

**Chapter 5**

"Where were you all weekend?" Addison asked Violet as they walked back to the office from getting their morning coffee.

"Me? Oh I just had a quiet weekend in. I didn't really do much of anything." There was a hint of a smile on her face.

"Shut up! You're glowing. Did you treat yourself to a facial?" Naomi chimed in.

"No." Violet replied.

"I know what it is!" Addison exclaimed.

"You do?"

"Violet here has something we in the medical profession like to call, FFG"

"FFG?" Violet and Naomi asked in unison, staring oddly at Addison.

"Freshly Fucked Glow," Addison said, huge grin on her face, "Violet is having sex!"

Violet smiled and shrugged, unable to say anything further. Inside she was dying to talk to someone about her weekend with Pete, but she couldn't trust it yet. She couldn't trust them yet.

"So it's true?" Naomi asked.

"I really don't want to talk about this." Violet pleaded.

"Just tell us who it is? Is it Sheldon?" Addison begged.

"I don't want to say anything. It's very new. I don't want to jinx it." Violet was trying to get out of the conversation as politely as she could.

"Fine. But we're going to get it out of you somehow." They were in the elevator now. She knew that the conversation was far from over, but she was thankful that it was on hiatus. She took a long sip of her coffee and tried to keep up with the conversation now that the topic had taken a more favorable turn. The doors opened. Immediately her eyes fell upon Pete, who was leaning against the front desk getting his messages. As she stepped out of the elevator he turned to go to his office. When he saw her, his gaze instantly moved to the floor. He walked straight to his office without turning back. Confused she walked into her office and dropped her things on the couch.

_So he's avoiding me. _

She sighed. It was to be expected she knew. Pete's affairs didn't ever last very long. About every two weeks or so he came into her office and told her his latest story of lost love. She was always there to comfort him. Now she had comforted him in a new way. Things would never be the same.

_You spent half of the weekend together and now he's avoiding you. _

She couldn't be sure though.

_What if he just didn't want to acknowledge me in front of Addison and Naomi. _

_No._

_We're friends. He could have at least given me a friendly hello. _

She moved about the room, putting her things in their place. She pulled some files that she had taken home for the weekend out of her bag. She couldn't worry about Pete right now, she had patients to prepare for. She was doing another consult for Dell in less than an hour and she didn't even have the file yet.

"File." She said, walking toward the door. Then she stopped. She had forgotten something. "Lunch." She said, walking back around her desk to retrieve her bag. She needed to put her lunch in the fridge.

She walked out of her office and across the hall to the break room. Before she could complete her task, she noticed that Pete awkwardly stood and left the room. He was definitely avoiding her. She put her sandwich in the refridgerator and slammed the door. She didn't understand what was happening. Angrily she walked down the hall to get the file she needed from Dell. Once she had it, she angrily walked back into her office. She shut the door and drew the blinds shut.

She threw the file down on the desk and ran her hands through her hair. She sat down and picked up the phone. Quickly she dialed. She was afraid she would change her mind if she hesitated.

"Hey Sheldon; it's Violet." There was a pause. "I'd like to go out again."

**

He was avoiding her. He just didn't know what else to do. She wanted to keep whatever they had between them; he didn't know how to do that without avoiding her. Every time he was around her, he found himself thinking of bad things; things he shouldn't think about at work.

He realized how this looked to her. He knew he looked like an ass. They had practically spent the whole weekend tangled up together and now he didn't have the balls to acknowledge her at the office. He just couldn't look her in the face and act like they were just friends.

_That's what she wants. Everything needs to be normal. _

Avoiding her was not normal for them. They were friends. This thing they had going on between them shouldn't alter that relationship; but of course it did. He had seen her naked; naked and on top of him; naked from every angle. There was no changing that.

He sat down at his desk and rubbed his temples. He had an appointment at 10 and he needed to calm down first. No one wants to get acupuncture from a guy that looks stressed. He closed his eyes and leaned back. Every time he closed his eyes he could see her. Always the same picture; she was standing over him in that black lace bra/panty combo she had been wearing at his house.

"_You should take yours off too." She had said in reference to his pants. _

He let out a soft groan as he remembered exactly how the rest of the night had gone down. Her moving on top of him in sync with his own movements; her fingernails raking across his shoulders as she held on to him; the soft kiss she placed on his collar bone when it was over. They had sat like that for a while after they were done; her on top of him, arms thrown around his neck, listening to each other's breathing. Her heart had been beating so fast.

He opened his eyes, suddenly aware of the stiffness in his pants.

_This is exactly why I can't talk to her at work. _

He stood up and began to prepare for his client, pushing thoughts of Violet out of his mind.

**

They had gone almost the entire day without speaking. They had managed to stay out of the same rooms as well. Violet tried not to let her confusion show. She didn't want him to know how much it hurt her that he was blatantly avoiding her. She had eaten lunch in her office at her desk for fear of having another awkward encounter with him. Two days ago everything had been perfect; but now she wasn't so sure.

She walked into the break room to get one last cup of tea before she left for the day. As she was pouring the hot water, Addison walked in.

"Hey Vi," Addison said as she walked over to the fridge.

"Hey."

Naomi walked in, followed by Pete who immediately looked uncomfortable.

"Where have you been all day Pete?" Addison asked.

"I've been around. Just busy." He replied shortly.

Violet stirred her tea as quickly as possible. Addison turned to her.

"Me and Nae are going out for drinks later. Do you want to come?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know if I can."

"Why? Too busy having hot sex?" Naomi chimed it, huge grin on her face.

Pete stared at her, his eyes burning a hole in her skull. Violet's cheeks flushed.

"No, I…I well…I have a date." She replied nervously, glancing at Pete.

"She's having hot sex." Addison and Naomi exchanged looks.

"No, No, it's just dinner. I can meet you after."

"Great. We're just going to that place down the street from Nae's. You know which one I'm talking about. We went there like a month ago."

Violet nodded and turned to walk out.

"You go there a lot don't you Pete?" Nae asked.

"Sometimes." He said quickly, going after Violet.

By the time he exited the break room, she was walking into her office.

"Violet!" he called after her. He walked into her office just as the door was closing behind her. "Violet." He said quieter. The door shut behind him.

"What?" she turned. She was mad. He could see it in her eyes.

"You have a date?"

"Yes." She turned to gather her things together.

"With who?" he demanded.

"Why does it matter?" She was placing her things in her bag as quickly as possible. She didn't want to fight with him.

"Because it does." His jaw was clenched.

"Pete, don't play this card with me."

"Tell me who you are going out with."

"You know," she said turning, bag on her shoulder. "You have no right to care. Absolutely no right."

"I do have a right to care. We most of the weekend fucking for god's sake, and now you are going out on dates."

"You should be used to that. I'm sure you do it all the time," she said coldly. She brushed past him, flicking the light in her office off as she left him standing there. She walked to the elevator just as the doors opened to let people on. Thankfully, the doors were closing when he walked out of the office after her.

**

She was still reeling from her encounter with Pete when she knocked on the door to Sheldon's office.

"Are you ready?" she asked as she entered. She was thankful that he asked if they could have an early date. She could use the girls night.

"Yes. Let me just get my things together." He stood up and grabbed his bag and suit jacket.

He walked over to her, and kissed her on the cheek.

"You look beautiful." He said.

She smiled. "I wore this all day."

"Still beautiful."

They made small talk as they walked to the elevator and to the car. It was easy to talk to him. No sexual tension. Not like with Pete. Every second she was with Pete she wanted to be closer to him; to be closer to his warm body. She had things in common with Sheldon. They had common interests, common thought processes. Not that she didn't share some interests with Pete. Her attraction to Sheldon was more than physical.

"I thought that we could do some Italian food. Is that ok?" he asked.

She wasn't listening.

"Violet?" he questioned.

"Oh yeah, that's fine." She said, distracted. She couldn't stop thinking about the look on Pete's face when he found out about her date. He would assume it was with Sheldon of course. She couldn't help but wonder if she had just thrown away her chance with Pete.

Their dinner went by in a blur. Her heart just wasn't in it. She was barely paying attention to the conversation that Sheldon was dominating. Looking back now, she couldn't believe that she had found this man so charming in the first place. He was babbling about nothing. She didn't even get a chance to add anything to the conversation. So far she laughed when he made jokes, and nodded when it was appropriate. It wasn't his fault; she wasn't even trying.

This was more of a revenge date, but Sheldon didn't need to know that. So she smiled, and began to rub a circle on Sheldon's calf with her shoe. She knew she shouldn't lead him on, but she couldn't help herself. Pete had been jealous. She liked the feeling of him being jealous. So she smiled, and began to flirt.

**

Pete was drunk.

He had been waiting for her to show up for an hour and a half. Somehow he had weaseled his way into Addison and Naomi's bar night, although they had no idea why. Currently, he was taking shots of tequila while they were downing cosmopolitans. They chalked his drunkenness up to his recent split with Meg.

_If they only knew._

"So Pete," Addison leaned in closer to him, "what happened with you and Meg?"

"I cheated on her." He answered matter of factly.

"Typical Pete." Naomi chimed in, sipping her drink.

"Hey, I take offense to that."

"I don't see why. We all know you are a major player, I mean, you've kissed Addison countless times, and you slept with our office temp." Naomi replied.

"She had a point Pete. You run from any type of commitment that comes your way. You go for easy, quick relationships that only last a few days." Addison added.

"You ladies are driving me to drink." He said, signaling the bar tender to bring him another tequila shot.

He looked at his watch; it was almost ten o'clock. Where was she? He knew she was out with Sheldon. He wasn't stupid. He knew that she was out with Sheldon to make him jealous. He turned to Addison and Naomi to take his mind off of what she could possibly be doing with Sheldon.

He didn't even notice when she walked into the bar. She was startled to see him there. She could tell from where she stood that he had been drinking heavily.

"Hey guys." She said as she approached the table.

"Hey Violet."

Pete just glared at her.

She ignored him and sat down. Addison ordered one more round of cosmopolitans. Pete was steadily drinking his tequila, still glaring. Violet pretended not to notice how Addison was drunkenly flirting with him. Naomi was trying to get Addison to leave.

After they had finished their drinks, Addison and Naomi made to go home.

"Pete..do you want us to give you a ride home?" Addison said softly in his direction.

"I'll make sure he gets home." Violet smiled at Addison.

Addison turned to Violet, mouth open as if she was going to say something.

"I want to hang out a little longer." Pete said.

Addison frowned. "Ok then."

Pete raised his hand to order another tequila shot.

"Did you want one too?"

"Don't you think you've had enough?"

"Depends. How did your date go?" he turned to her.

She was silent. She didn't want to tell him that her date wasn't so great. She didn't want to tell him that she thought of him the whole time. The truth was that she pretended that she was with him the whole time.

"Cheers." He raised his glass to her and then downed it.

He didn't know why he was drinking so heavily. For some reason, everything that was going on lately hit him the moment he stepped foot in the bar. Once he started thinking, he hadn't been able to stop. So far, the drinking had taken care of his thoughts.

But now his thoughts were sitting right next to him, and the drinking was no longer helping.

"Pete," Violet said resting her hand on his arm, "Lets get out of here."

He didn't object. He didn't say anything. She suspected that he was too drunk to say anything. With some effort she pulled him off of the stool he had been sitting on all night, and helped him walk out of the bar.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Pete sat silently in the passenger seat of Violet's car. For a minute or two she thought that he had passed out from the alcohol, but when she glanced over at him, she realized his eyes were open. She concentrated on the road in front of her, unsure as to what to say.

"I'm mad at you." He whispered.

"You have no right to be mad at me. I'm mad at you."

"You can't be mad at me." He turned to her, grinning.

"I am."

"Why?"

"Because you're arrogant." She replied.

"You like that about me."

"I do not. It drives me insane. You think I should be falling all over you like all of the other women you know."

"Women don't fall all over me."

"Oh please Pete. Addison was practically begging you to go home with her."

"Someone's jealous." He teased.

"Do you want to be the pot tonight? Or would you rather be the kettle?"

"I was not jealous of your date with Sheldon."

"Sure seemed jealous." She commented.

He turned his attention back to the window. They rode in silence the rest of the way to his apartment. As soon as she parked the car, Pete thrust the door open and stumbled out. She scrambled out after him.

"Pete!" she called after him.

He ignored her. She caught up with him, grabbing him by the arm. They were in front of his apartment door.

"What Violet? What do you want from me?" he was turned to face her.

"Why did you ignore me all day?" she asked, her eyes searching his for her answer.

"I had to."

"You had to?"

He turned to the door, fumbling with the lock.

"Is this the part where you tell me it was fun while it lasted but you can't see me anymore?" She asked his back.

After a few minutes he pushed his door open and stumbled into his apartment. He left the door open and she followed him.

"What Pete? What is it that you're not telling me?"

He turned to face her, staring at her with such intensity that for an instant she was scared. He took a few steps closer to her.

"What am I not telling you? I'm not telling you that when we are at the office, I can't be around you because all I can think about is kissing you. I can't come into your office without thinking about how I fucked you on that couch. I can't talk to you because I want to throw you down and fuck you on that couch again." He took a step closer to her. She backed up until she was up against the door.

"I had to avoid you today Violet, because if I didn't I was afraid I would blow our cover. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep from touching you. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to contain my need to feel your skin." He ran his hands through his hair.

"Pete…." He was standing right in front of her now.

"I'm not done," he put a finger up to her lips, "When I heard you were going out on a date tonight it just hit me. I could really have feelings for you Violet, and it scares me. I thought I felt this way about Meg, but I was wrong. I don't want to be wrong about you."

"You won't be wrong…" she said softly.

"I'm just afraid. I don't let people in Violet. I'm afraid of showing you too much."

"Pete…about earlier…about my date I mean…."

"Violet," he started to turn away from her, "it's ok. You don't have to explain."

"No, I have to. I thought I knew you. I thought I had your type all figured out. I was afraid you would use me and then throw me out like most of the other women in your life. When you ignored me today I was sure I was right and that's why I called Sheldon. I was trying to keep myself from getting hurt."

"Maybe it was the right thing…"

"Pete…I had a terrible time. I had such a terrible time that I had to fake having a good time just so I wouldn't be miserable."

Suddenly, he grabbed her face and kissed her, fiercely. The kiss surprised her. She could barely catch her breath. But, as quickly as it had started, it was over.

"I don't know if I can do this, Violet." The words shook her to the core. She felt her eyes well up with tears, and she willed herself not to let them spill out. He was trying not to meet her eyes.

"You don't think you can do this? What makes you think I can do this? I don't want to do this. But I know I can't keep myself from doing it." She argued.

"You don't want to fall for me?"

"No. But I am," she cupped his face with her hands, "I'm afraid of getting hurt too Pete."

"I don't want to hurt you." He repeated.

She leaned in and kissed him. He tasted of tequila, but she pulled him closer so she could have more of him. She wanted to show him just how much she cared for him; she wanted to do it with one kiss. She could feel the heat radiating from his body and she pressed closer to him.

"Stay with me." He said as they broke apart. Without waiting for her answer he started leading her toward the bedroom. She followed without question, smiling at his still drunk clumsiness.

When they reached his bedroom, he fumbled through his dresser and tossed her a t-shirt. He tried not to look as she stripped down and put it on. Smiling she climbed into bed and watched him clumsily step out of his pants. He slipped into bed and wrapped his arms around her.

"Let's just sleep," he whispered into her hair.

They fell asleep tangled up in the comfort of each other's arms.

**

Pete's head hurt, badly. The bright lights of the office only made his head hurt worse. Violet had dragged him out of bed that morning early so that she could go home and change before coming to work. Since he had left his bike at the bar the night before, he had no choice but to go with her. Something had changed between them last night; now they had a mutual understanding. It was nice to know how she felt about him; it gave him something to look forward to. She liked him, for better or for worse.

He sat down at his desk and took an Asprin. From his office he could see Violet getting off of the elevator. She subtly waved in his direction, and continued on to her own office. A few minutes later, he got up and closed the blinds in preparation for the appointment that would be showing up any minute. There was a knock on the door behind him, and Violet entered holding a cup of coffee.

"I thought you might need this," she offered him the cup.

"Thanks," he smiled and took the cup from her hands. He set it down on the desk behind him and pulled her close to him. "I want to kiss you," he said.

"Then kiss me."

"What if someone walks in?"

"Just kiss me." She leaned in closer and met his lips with hers, softly. She smiled, and then backed out of his office.

He stood up and turned to the shelves behind his desk, preparing for the patient that would be coming in soon. Minutes later the door opened again.

"Back so soon?" he smiled, turning around thinking it was Violet. The smile fell from his face when he saw Meg standing in front of him. A look of confusion replaced it.

"Hey," she said softly, "We need to talk."

"Ok, have a seat."

"I think I'm pregnant." She blurted out without taking a seat. She immediately regretted saying it that way, but she didn't know how else to say it.

"You think you're…"

"Yes."

"But you aren't sure."

"No."

He ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly.

"Great." He muttered under his breath.

"Look, I came here because I thought you should know." She said.

"You couldn't have come to me when you were sure?"

"Peter, I have no friends here. No girlfriends to struggle through this with, just you. I don't want to go through this alone."

"You're right," he said drawing her into a hug, "We'll figure this out." She held on to him tightly, so tightly that he had to gently push her away from him.

**

She wasn't sure, but as she entered the hallway she could have sworn she saw Meg walking into the elevator. Her suspicions were confirmed when she caught a glimpse of Pete eyes closed, rubbing his temples through his open office door. She fought the urge to go to him and ask what had happened. Instead, she walked up to the front desk, where Dell was leaning.

"Hey Dell, I need you to make sure that Mr. Weiss is billed for an extra hour." She said handing him the file.

"Sure, no problem."

"Was that Meg that just left?" she asked as casually as possible.

"Yeah, she was in Pete's office for a while."

"Oh, I thought they weren't together anymore…"

"I don't know, they looked pretty cozy. I'll make sure this guy gets billed." He said picking up the file and walking toward his office.

She stood there for a minute staring at the elevator, then walked back to her office and tried to reassure herself that what Dell had seen with Pete and Meg was nothing.

**

"I know your secret." Sam said as he entered Pete's office. Startled Pete looked up.

_How does he know? I just found out._

"What secret?" Pete asked nervously.

"You and Violet."

"Oh that secret." Pete sounded relieved.

"There's more than one?"

"No, no. I just didn't know what you were talking about. Look, Violet doesn't really want everyone to know about us so…"

"Hey, I'm not going to say anything. I just want you to be careful man. We all know your track record, including Violet." Sam said walking out of the room.

"Please don't remind me."

**

It was 5:00; time to go home for the day. Violet gathered her things and walked down the hall to Pete's office. He waved her in before she could even knock on the door.

_He looks tired. Probably from last night. _

"Want to go grab some dinner?" she asked.

"Sure. Let me just wrap things up here."

She sat down and waited. She wanted to ask him about Meg. Part of her begged for an answer, while the other begged her to not even ask. She was afraid of what he was going to say.

_Ask._

"I saw Meg leaving today." She instantly regretted asking. The words just seemed to slip right out of her mouth.

His head snapped up.

"I'm sorry. It's not my business." She tried to take the statement back.

"No, no. She just came by to…um…ask when was a good time for her to pick up the rest of her things." He lied. He didn't have the heart to tell her now. He wasn't even sure if the news would be worth telling.

As she broke into a smile, he could see the relief written all over her face.

"Let's go." He said, throwing an arm around her shoulders, hoping he had made the right choice.


End file.
